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MONTREAL — Municipalities — and notably Montreal — “were one of the winners of this election campaign,” Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre said Tuesday.

“I would suggest that if there’s one word that’s coming out of this election, it’s stability.”

“No matter which party, the fact that it’s a majority government, of course we are pleased with it. ... People know that for the next four years, we’ll have to find a way to work together. ... There won’t be a flag-waving war. My flag is Montreal.

“The bottom line is Montreal’s status,” Coderre told reporters after a round table discussion with Éric Forest, president of the Union des municipalités du Québec, at the annual meeting of the Conseil du patronat du Québec.

He spoke with Quebec Liberal leader and premier-elect Philippe Couillard Monday night, Coderre said. He also reached out to François Legault, leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec and Françoise David of Québec solidaire, but was unable to reach outgoing premier Pauline Marois.

“We showed during that campaign that the municipal world can speak as one voice. That we are the true counterbalance politically.”

Party leaders in the campaign agreed to a new partnership for Montreal and to a special status as a metropolis, like the one Ontario bestowed on Toronto in 2006.

“The fact that they all spoke very clearly about the new status and partnership with the municipal world is an add for us.”

And now, Coderre added, he will hold Couillard’s feet to the fire.

“I’m going to give Mr. Couillard the opportunity to let the dust settle a bit,” said Coderre. “But not too much.”

“Let’s be clear. It wasn’t just a few weeks of visibility during an election. It was a repositioning of municipal forces.”

Montreal, like most municipalities in Quebec, faces a series of serious problems like infrastructure decaying, pension plan deficits and overtaxed citizens.

Municipalities are the governments closest to citizens, and as such, need to have more powers and autonomy to manage their affairs, Forest and Coderre agreed during an hour-long discussion with a moderator. They argued that it wouldn’t translate into more taxes, but better management of existing taxes collected “which all come from the same taxpayer anyway.”

“We are a government of proximity and we want to be recognized as such,” Coderre said.

Forest said that Quebec’s municipal employees’ pension funds have a collective deficit of $5 billion, “and we need the tools to address that properly after dragging this issue around for many years.”

“It doesn’t require more cash — just political courage to sit down and recognize that the government of proximity is the municipality and to develop a new partnership together that will make Quebec competitive in a world-class economy.”

About 70 per cent of Montreal’s annual revenues come from property taxes, said Coderre — and more than 75 per cent for many other cities, Forest added.

“That’s just untenable,” Coderre said.

“We can no longer be taken for granted as creatures of the provinces.”

Asked if the Parti Québécois’S proposed charter of values caused their defeat, Coderre replied: “The charter divided — some things in it were not acceptable. ... No one is going to choose my employees at city hall. So yes, it was divisive. If people thought they could use that to get some votes, yes, it had an impact.”

Equality for women and minorities is already enshrined in Canada, he noted.

The CPQ also welcomed Couillard’s election, but warned that he faces “immense” and “colossal” challenges, particularly on the economy.

Yves-Thomas Dorval, president of the employers’ group, said he was especially glad that voters returned a majority government, which makes it easier to take and implement decisions.

But he noted that “everyone knows that you have a window of only about one year after an election for critical decisions to be taken.”

“This government has its work cut out. Our taxes per capita are the highest in North America, our level of debt is huge ... and most of our infrastructure is in a dilapidated state.

“It’s an immense task that they face.”

The priority, Dorval said, must be not simply slowing the growth rate of public spending, but freezing it.

He said Quebec must begin a vast review of its policies on corporate subsidies and social programs.

He said it will take “a colossal effort” to get Quebecers to accept changes to the status quo.

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